7 Tea Cocktails for Brunch and Beyond

While you’ve likely used matcha tea to make a latte, or Japanese green tea to brew a perfect, delicate pot for late-night sipping, when was the last time you reached for tea leaves or bagged tea to make a cocktail?

Like bitters, tinctures, and syrups, Jasmine, oolong, black, and milled teas can add complexity to your drinks if you know how to harness their powers. We love using oolong tea as an earthy backbone for the Smoky Fig Cocktail, which calls for Scotch whisky and sweet, slightly tart fig liqueur; Earl Grey, a blend of black tea and bergamot oil (along with other botanicals) plays nicely with aquavit and honey simple syrup in our spring-ready Earl Grey Aquavit Spritz. Here’s how to incorporate tea into your cocktail-making game.

Smoky Fig Cocktail

CON POULOS

The Smoky Fig is a fruity, smoky, tart drink adapted from the Qiyi Guo cocktail created by Maybe Sammy in Sydney, which leans on techniques accessible to those of us at home. It gets its rich complexity from layering the flavors of oolong tea, kiwi, Scotch, and fig liqueur.

Anchors Away

Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This dangerously drinkable cocktail calls for vodka, fresh cucumber, and lime juice. A simple syrup infused with jasmine tea gives the cocktail a beautiful floral aroma and subtle sweetness. To level up your dessert game, try drizzling the leftover tea syrup over vanilla ice cream or buttery pound cake.

Matcha Whiskey Highball

Chelsea Kyle / Food Styling by Drew Aichele

With its earthy, slightly grassy flavor, matcha plays incredibly well with sweet honey syrup, tart lemon juice, and a bold backbone of Japanese whiskey. Top everything off with club soda for effervescence.

Midori Shochu Sour

Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

For this Midori Sour, Julia Momose, owner of Kumiko, a Japanese dining bar in Chicago, and author of The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Traditions, Techniques & Recipes, uses Mizu Green Tea shochu. Green tea shochu is infused with a tea that lends the shochu tropical notes that mesh seamlessly with the luscious melon liqueur and also come together with citrus juices to yield a cocktail with pleasant acidity.

Earl Grey Aquavit Spritz

Victor Protasio

Smoky, bittersweet Earl Grey is a perfect match for honey syrup, lemon juice, and herbaceous aquavit.

Jasmine Gin Fizz

This frothy, egg white cocktail proves that gin and floral, fragrant jasmine tea are a match made in heaven.

Stop the Hourglass

Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Chantal Tseng’s take on a refreshing summer drink pairs juicy, ripe peaches with cool and refreshing mint tea. Amontillado sherry, with notes of vanilla and toasted hazelnuts, adds a sweet, pleasant complexity to this frozen sipper. The fresh peaches and mint tea ice cubes tame the heat of the alcohol and ginger.

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